Coming Round
by Gem6
Summary: This is the sequel to Destined To Meet Again.


This is for Jay again!

I realised there was a couple of spelling mistakes in the last chapter I uploaded so I apologise for that.

Don't be put off by the medical knowledge just enjoy!

* * *

I realised I was coming round as I could hear the voices more clearly now.

Opening my eyes, I was blinded by the light and squeezed the tightly shut again

My throat was sore and I felt like I had no voice, opening my mouth I croaked hoarsely:

"Where are my children?"

"She's awake" Kerry cried

"How are you feeling Claire?" John asked

"Where are my children?" I almost screamed beginning to panic

"Calm down, their ok, they are with Duncan and Mickey" John said trying to calm me down

"I feel like I've been run over by a steamroller"

"You looked a bit like it too" John said squeezing my hand

"Thanks" I smiled painfully "Is... Is... Is Peter still in custody?"

"Yes, hopefully he's getting life for attempted murder" Kerry explained

"I'm sorry Claire, I should never have come back, this is all my fault, you nearly died"

"But I wasn't killed was I? It would have happened anyway whether you were here or not" I let go of John's hand and gingerly felt my face, I realised I had a huge bandage over my nose or what was left of it, my chest, ribs and abdomen was encased in a huge plaster cast and there were lots and lots of bandages covering my arms and legs

"Almost three years I've suffered and you know what made me see red-literally?"

"What?"

"The fact that he threatened to kill you John, him saying that gave me the strength to get up and fight back"

"Wow, that's what I call devotion" Kerry said

"Madly in love devotion" I added

"Beats mad hatred I guess" John said

I smiled weakly as my head began to spin

"Claire?" John called my name as I began to drift "Claire? Wake up babe"

Everything went black again as I slipped into unconsciousness

Back in Claire's room:

John was panicking

"John calm down" Kerry tried to reassure him

She hit the nurse call button and three nurses came rushing in

"She's flat lining, looks like an internal bleed" Kerry spouted at the nurse

"Get the X-Ray scanner in here"

John stood back out of the way as the X-Ray was wheeled in, Kerry grasped John's hand.

They watched silently as the nurses began working on Claire:

"Looks like you were right Miss Holmes, severe internal bleeding, ruptured spleen and both lungs have collapsed, in order to save her life we have to operate" The nurse said

John left the room a few seconds before the nurses wheeled Claire to theatre.

In theatre:

"This bloods coming out as fast as its going in"

"She's flat lining"

"Looks like there a Tension Pnuemothorax on the right"

"You want a drain?"

"No prepare to crack the chest please; I want to check out why the lungs have failed"

"Ready to crack the chest"

The surgeon took a scalpel and cut a line from Claire's collarbone right down to her xiphoid.

Dropping the knife onto the tray beside her she placed her hand into the incision and pulled the skin apart, exposing the rib cage with the heart and lungs underneath.

"Retractor please, can I get some suction as well, siphon the blood into a drip bag, it can be used later"

"Chest cavities clear doctor, do you want to switch her to a ventilator?"

"Yeah please, just while I fix these lungs. Ah I've found two puncture wounds, these almost certainly caused the collapse, the bleeding's almost certainly coming from the spleen, all right sutures please"

The nurse handed the surgeon the needle and thread, she watched silently as the surgeon neatly stitched the two holes back together

"Off the ventilator please"

Everyone held their breath as the ventilator was switched off, they collectively released the breath as Claire took a breath on her own

"Nurse Mackenzie, can I leave you to drain the tension pnuemo while I remove the spleen?"

"Of course doctor"

Ten minutes later both the nurse and the surgeon had finished:

"All right, close off the drain, leave it in place though, lets get her back to the ward"

A few minutes later Claire was wheeled back to John and Kerry who were waiting in her room

"What happened?"

"Is she all right?" John and Kerry fired questions at the surgeon

"Claire is seriously ill Mr Boulton; she's by no means out of the woods yet. You were right about the internal bleeding Miss Holmes, we've had to remove her spleen and stitch up a hole in both her lungs. There was a build up of fluid on the right lung which we have drained, I've left the drain in the chest which you can see there under the bandages, I'll be back later when Claire's awake to explain things fully to her"

"Doctor, do you have any idea when she'll be awake?"

"She should begin to regain consciousness in about...." The surgeon checked her watch "In about ten minutes, please be warned she may get hysterical"

"Thank you Doctor Frey" John's eyes glistened with tears

John sat down on one side of Claire while Kerry sat on the other side

"Claire will be all right John, she's a fighter" Kerry reached across and squeezed John's hand "She survived you dropping her and the abuse for three years, she'll get through this"

John smiled weakly, then turned his attention to Claire as she began to stir.


End file.
